Frações e seu ensino: um estudo diagnóstico das concepções dos estudantes de um Curso de Pedagogia na modalidade EaD

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to identify and analyze the concepts of students from a Pedagogy course in the Distance Education modality - DE with regards to the definition and teaching of rational numbers in its fractional representation. The purpose o the research was to answer the following question: What are the concepts of students from a Pedagogy course, - DE modality, have on the definition of Fractions and teaching them? Therefore, we performed a diagnostic study with 31 students, belonging to two regional support centers of a Pedagogy course, in the DE modality. As a basis, we build our theoretical framework based on the themes of Distance Education, Teacher formation for teaching mathematics, and aspects related to the definition of fraction. The methodology employed was the descriptive research, with a qualitative approach and, in some moments, quantitative. Our study was developed in four stages: the first consisted on the application of a questionnaire and the analysis of documents related to the subject that focuses on the mathematical contents of the course; the three other stages, respectively, consisted on the application of three diagnostic instruments, referred to as "ID1", "ID2" and "ID3", by means of which we sought to identify and analyze in the individuals surveyed: ID1 the competence of the surveyed individuals to elaborate problem situations involving the concept of fraction; ID2 - their concepts of the importance and the teaching of the definition of fraction, and the ability of these individuals in recognizing the applicability of this definition in different contexts; and ID3 - the appropriation, signification and mobilization of the definition, that is, the competence to solve problem situations involving fraction. The results showed that the conceptions of the investigated students, in terms of elaboration of problem situations involving the definition of fraction, are more focused on the meanings multiplicative operator and part-whole. Regarding the concepts in teaching, we observed that they refer to an intention to contextualize the definition, being mentioned as strategies the use of concrete materials and the development of playful activities.